>To help that happen, I am begging all US ferret breeders to do
>whatever they can to cut back their operation for the next season or
>two until these animals are mainstreamed into the ferret community.

I'm not a breeder (I own 2 rescues, foster 2 more, and have one
privately bred ferret), but don't you think this is apples and oranges?
People go to breeders for far different reasons than they go to
shelters, and I really don't think the clientele is the same for both
groups.

Furthermore, your post makes the implied assumption that all breeders
breed like DMK did. I don't know of any reputable private breeder who
works that way -- ferret, dog, cat, whatever. Good breeders who aim
for health, structure, temperament, etc. have a waiting list they work
with; if they were all pumping out ferrets and selling willy-nilly,
then they wouldn't be breeding for very long -- the first season
without many buyers would clobber them.

So maybe I'm splitting hairs here, but I don't think making every
ferret breeder in the US out to be some kind of villain if they don't
cooperate with you is the most guided approach to getting their help,
especially since so many of them were, are, and continue to be major
assets to the rescue community. Remember, as bad as ferret
overpopulation is, dogs have it a hundred times worse, and there are
still hundreds of reputable breeders in that field doing things
correctly.

However, I can understand why you'd be frustrated enough to make a
post like this. I have the impression that the Ohio area had a glut of
breeder ferrets even before DMK became an issue -- and, after all, DMK
became an issue because of lack of sales. Everyone I know who attended
the Buckeye Bash was amazed at the amount of kits available and new
breeders entering the picture, and I have heard stories (they may just
be stories for all I know) that Petco is considering phasing out ferret
sales in the area because of slow sales.

The fact is that if private ferret breeders are not breeding for the
right reasons -- to produce better-quality ferrets across a series of
generations and create a product demonstrably worth paying a premium
for -- then they don't deserve to be in operation, and that's true
regardless of how full shelters are.

k

PS. One of the alarming things I'm seeing on some ferret forums (not
this one, thankfully) is people thinking along the lines of "Oh boy,
now's my chance to get an unfixed/late-alter ferret for cheap, and
no waiting lists or evaluations either!" Assuming that late neuter
inherently means "health" is a fallacy. Some of DMK's lines may or
may not be more prone to disease than others, and unless you have a
good picture of the health histories of any given ferret's parents,
grandparents, aunts/uncles, etc., then you don't have any facts to base
an assumption of good health off of. So don't adopt because of that --
adopt because it's good karma and the ferret will appreciate it.

[Posted in FML 5742]